Michigan State needs more of Travis Trice at point guard, Keith Appling to find rhythm

AP PhotoKeith Appling deserves more time in finding his way in a new position, but Michigan State also needs his offense.

EAST LANSING -- Amid basketball at dusk on an aircraft carrier in San Diego Bay, military personnel clamoring for snapshots with eager-to-oblige hoops royalty, and the unmistakable presidential aura, were some memorable images few saw.

One was Keith Appling, leaning against a wall in Michigan State’s dressing trailer, disconsolate about a game seized from him by fouls, while his freshman backup Travis Trice took questions and explained he must do more.

On the floor and in the locker room, the Spartans are Draymond Green’s team.

But the offensive triggerman has to be the point guard, and while there won’t be a rush to judgment after two exhibitions and Friday’s 67-55 loss to No. 1 North Carolina, there is growing sentiment that the Spartans’ primary point guard ultimately must be Trice.

Whether Tom Izzo agrees remains to be seen, and it certainly won’t happen with No. 6 Duke on deck Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone -- not to Appling, who deserves more time to find himself at the new position, and certainly not to Trice after one college game.

Better opportunities for Appling to develop offensive rhythm are forthcoming, in games against something less than the epitome of college basketball bluebloods, and perhaps officials more sympathetic to his offensive moves. Appling has acknowledged mixing both positions is a challenge, which has been true. He also said he is confident he can do it.

Still, Appling isn’t a natural at point guard, Trice is, and it might even give the Spartans more flexibility if it ultimately resolves that the freshman plays the bulk of the point minutes. They could play together some, which Izzo wants, but Appling’s 19-minute foul-out against North Carolina didn’t allow. And the Spartans might have a dynamic three-guard group if Brandon Wood improves his 3-of-9 shooting on a wind-whipped flight deck, which was a better percentage than his team, after all.

The Spartans lost for several reasons, many related to North Carolina, and some undeniably self-inflicted.

They couldn’t make a perimeter shot. Interchangeable post men Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix played well, but two quick fouls on each player pushed Alex Gauna to play 12-plus consecutive minutes in his college debut. Open-court turnovers betrayed a transition defense that didn’t allow defensive rebounds to become fast breaks.

Mostly, Appling fouling out after 19 ineffective minutes, on his third offensive foul, interrupted all flow.

"Even when he was playing, he was playing soft, because he was afraid to do anything," Izzo said. "Every time we drove, we seemed to have a charge. Either we charged a lot or it was a question mark."

AP PhotoFreshman Travis Trice, left, had some bright spots in Michigan State's loss to North Carolina on Friday.

Trice showed both aptitude and youth. He had three steals and three assists. He was in the game for all but the first few seconds of MSU’s 10-0 second-half run.

He also took one of those steals and immediately gave it back on a long pass, and ended that same 10-0 run by taking another steal and jacking a 19-foot jumper just three seconds into the shot clock.

Verbal leadership doesn’t come naturally to Appling. Izzo has said he expected better from Trice in that area.

More important is the concern that Appling, a must-start player because of his defense, might see his perimeter shooting suffer under the combined weight of running the offense and guarding point guards. The Spartans don’t have enough healthy shooters to sacrifice one.

They also have only two point guards, so Appling has to play extended minutes there. What MSU can’t afford is to have the rest of his game suffer for it.

Through some combination of Trice’s maturation, and necessity, the distribution of point-guard minutes seemingly must tilt in his favor this season, for everyone’s benefit. Once the stars clear after this two-game gauntlet, that evolution figures to become the Spartans’ most important personnel adjustment of the non-conference season, and beyond.